NBA fans got treated to a thrilling night of basketball action on Thursday as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 125-121, and the Denver Nuggets pulled off a 130-127 victory against the Golden State Warriors. Although the night was packed with excitement, the standout moment came when Nikola Jokić buried a 39-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to secure the win for the Nuggets.

The Nuggets had to stage a 25-4 run in the last half of the fourth quarter to clinch the victory, despite struggling from the 3-point line for most of the night. The struggling Warriors dominated for the majority of the game, only to get caught from behind just as they were about to win.

TNT had not aired an NBA basketball game since Dec. 19, 2023, as the network had given Thursday nights to NFL games. However, the 2023 season drew in an average of nearly 12 million viewers for “NFL Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video,” a feat that the NBA could not match until playoff time. Despite the league ceding its featured night to the NFL, the return to Thursday night on TNT was a spectacle to behold.

During the games, Victor Wembanyama rejected a dunk attempt from Giannis Antetokounmpo, resulting in monster fourth quarters for both players. Both games went down to the wire, providing TNT with two stellar basketball matches for their traditional Thursday night slot. The games were a showcase of high-level athleticism, despite notable players like Khris Middleton and Draymond Green being absent.

The NBA’s return on Thursday night brought an electrifying display of basketball, proving that the quality of the game overcomes the league’s extensive 82-game schedule.